People & Culture Manager

Join FK – Where Design Shapes a Better Future

At FK, we believe in the power of design to shape how people live, work, and connect. As a leading Australian architecture and design studio, we bring together creative thinkers, strategic minds, and technical experts to deliver impactful, enduring work that elevates the built environment.

We're united by a shared ambition: to design at the highest standard, collaborate inclusively, and continuously challenge ourselves to think bigger and do better.

About the Role

We're looking for an experienced
People & Culture Manager
to join our Melbourne studio. This is a unique role for someone who understands the creative studio environment, with all its energy, pace, and nuance—and knows how to balance people-focused support with practical, operational HR.

You'll be the go-to person for recruitment, employee relations, performance management, compliance, and day-to-day HR operations—helping our teams work effectively while maintaining the culture that makes FK unique.

What You'll Do

• Recruitment & Resourcing:
  Lead end-to-end recruitment for critical roles, partnering with design leaders to identify talent, shape role briefs, and deliver an excellent candidate experience.
• Team Development:
  Support workforce planning, onboarding, training coordination, and capability-building to keep teams high-performing and adaptable.
• Employee Relations:
  Navigate the human side of creative practice—address issues with care and pragmatism, balancing compliance with empathy.
• Performance & Reward:
  Coordinate performance review cycles, support goal-setting, and help develop reward and recognition processes tailored to a creative studio.
• HR Operations:
  Oversee contracts, HRIS, payroll coordination, and policy administration, ensuring accuracy and compliance while keeping things practical.
• Compliance & Risk:
  Maintain awareness of employment legislation, modern awards, and industry obligations—and ensure our practices reflect them without unnecessary bureaucracy.
• Culture & Engagement:
  Help maintain FK's collaborative, people-first culture, balancing wellbeing and inclusion with the realities of deadlines, resourcing, and project delivery.

What You'll Bring

• Experience:
  4-8 yrs + years in HR, operations management, or senior generalist roles, ideally in creative industries (architecture, design, advertising, consulting) or professional services.
• Understanding:
  Deep appreciation for the studio model—project-based work, strong personalities, fluid teams—and how to support it rather than "control" it.
• Knowledge:
  Strong grasp of Australian employment law, modern awards (including Fair Work compliance), and best-practice people processes.
• Skills:
  Recruitment expertise, practical ER/IR capability, confident performance management, and HR operations know-how.
• Approach:
  Calm, pragmatic, solutions-focused. Able to build trust at all levels—from Directors to grads—and handle sensitive situations with maturity.
• Collaboration:
  A genuine partner to the studio leadership team, able to balance strategic priorities with day-to-day HR delivery.

Why FK?

FK is a design-led, award-winning practice with a strong national reputation. We value learning, shared success, and personal growth. We offer flexible working options and a genuine commitment to wellbeing.

Here, you'll find mentoring, professional development, and clear pathways for progression—all within a collaborative, creative team that genuinely enjoys working together.

We believe that diverse perspectives lead to better design, stronger teams, and more meaningful outcomes. If you're excited about this role—even if your background isn't traditional corporate HR—we'd love to hear from you.

Join a team where individuality is valued, creativity is encouraged, and you're supported to do your best work.